Tsunami Loss Felt Deeply

The following comments reflect a cross-section of the views of our readers. If you would like to have your say, click on our feedback button below. Not all reader comments will be published. DW-WORLD reserves the right to edit for length and appropriateness of content.

On aid and relief efforts to the striken region

As a Thai person, I would like to say sorry to everyone, Thai or foreigner, who suffered, lost family, got injured or passed away in my homeland. No one is to be blamed, (it was) the power of nature.

In Thailand, (according to) Thai society, we help each other. After the disaster we feel unity, everyone tries to help as they can -- some more, some less -- blood, food, water, money, etc. I am sure that no one in the south is hungry or thirsty in this time; our assistance from the whole country cheers them up to fight further -- life goes on.

For short-term assistance, do not worry about Thailand, but in the long term, to re-build, we need help. Thanks everyone for the donations. I hope in the near future Phuket, Phi Phi Island, Khao Lak will be the same as they were -- the pearl of Andaman. -- Dornnapha Sukkree

From all reports the Tsunami relief effort is a magnificent effort of what can be achieved when humanity pulls together. It is a great pity that it takes a natural disaster for this to happen. -- Phil Day

Overall that the world is doing a very good job of giving aid to those affected by the tsunami. However, I was extremely embarrassed by the behavior of my government, the United States, in the days after the disaster. Not only was Bush's response slow, but also the amount of aid to be given seemed small compared with the fact that the average citizens of my country have donated just as much as the government. To me it only seems logical that the richest country in the world should give more aid than that donated by its own citizens privately. -- Joshua Jennings

I am an American of Vietnamese descent and travel to southeast Asia every year to help my mom in her charitable campaigns in the region, such as building schools, hospitals and immunizing children, and never once have I met a single European trying to help the region. I find it hypocritical for Europeans to call Americans stingy in helping the region only after this disaster (occurred) because so many Europeans lost their lives in the tsunami. These same Europeans who vacation there have seen the poverty in the region and never cared before. Europeans, especially Germans and French, are selectively blind when it suits them.

I find it hilarious that your great leader Schröder demands western nations to reduce their debts to southeast Asian countries to help alleviate the region's poverty. It's ironic that the poverty was a direct result of European colonization. The British, French, Dutch, Spanish and Germans never cared for the region as they raped and pillaged it and now try to act as great humanitarians. The evil European empire of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries has manifested itself in EU (Evil Union) of the 20th and 21st centuries. -- Steve Nguyen, USA

Apart from the international relief operation, the most important thing is psychological help for those who survive. It's difficult to imagine how they can go on living with the fact that they have witnessed this disaster, especially for those who had been asked for help during the danger but couldn't and the one who asked for help finally died! -- cky

Go to the next page to read comments about the high Swedish death toll.